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Southwest Chicken Bean Soup

a bowl of chicken soup.

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This hearty chicken soup is all about Southwestern flavors. It combines tender chicken, corn, black beans, pinto beans, and rice in a savory broth made with chicken broth and salsa verde.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 poblano pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 (16-ounce) jar salsa verde
  • 1 (32-ounce) box low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup long-grain rice (see note)
  • 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
  • 1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen roasted corn kernels
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • ยผ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, poblano pepper, and jalapeno pepper. Cook the veggies for five minutes. Add the garlic and stir.
  2. Add the chicken, stir, and cook it with the vegetables for a few minutes until it’s no longer pink on the outside. Add all of the seasonings and stir to coat everything evenly.
  3. Add the salsa, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and then add the rice. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
  4. Add the beans, corn, lime juice, and cilantro. Simmer the soup uncovered for two to three minutes, and then itโ€™s ready to serve.

Notes

If you plan to enjoy all of the soup when it’s made, you can cook the rice directly in the soup as instructed. If you plan to make it ahead or store the leftovers, I recommend cooking the rice separately and adding it to the soup when you warm it up. Soup with rice doesn’t store well because the rice absorbs a lot of the liquid.

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